Sign on the line and keep tabs on couriers

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PDAs on the road keep a courier firm and its customers happy. Photo: Jessica Hromas

One of the biggest problems for courier companies is tracking
the progress of orders and verifying when goods have actually been
picked up and delivered.

Seeking a more creative way to tackle the problem, east-coast
delivery company Direct Couriers fitted itself out 18 months ago
with specially reinforced PocketPC PDAs from US company Intermec.
The company's drivers and staff at base are now able to receive and
manage all job information - including actual signatures -
electronically and in real time, with once-common errors now
virtually eliminated.

Information systems consultant Nino Quartararo says while
tracking deliveries is crucial in the courier business, larger
numbers of customers and deliveries over the years had highlighted
the need for more sophisticated information systems to record and
transmit exactly when items are picked up and delivered, and by
whom.

"One of the major problems was in obtaining proof of delivery,"
he says.

Addressing this issue, Mr Quartararo configured the Intermec
PDAs to capture and transmit an actual digital image of signatures
directly from the device to the core booking systems at base.

"When the driver gets to the delivery point, the client must
actually sign; the system forces the driver to have the client sign
for something," Mr Quartararo says.

The signature is then sent from the PDA to the Direct Couriers'
back-end systems via Telstra's GPRS (general packet radio service)
mobile service, which allows data to be transmitted over the GSM
cellular phone network. A notification message, such as a basic
text email or signature image, is then generated for the client if
requested. And because the system stores the file in HTML,
customers can also go online and physically view the signature. The
system also accommodates larger companies with their own
sophisticated back-ends to receive real-time electronic delivery
information via FTP (file transfer protocol).

"If a customer claims that goods were not received then we are
able to say 'but they were signed for'," Mr Quartararo says.

The system has greatly improved operations for Direct Couriers,
as well as for its customers, who now have much shorter lead times
before being able to initiate invoices and other processes. "With
proof of delivery you can set other things in train."

Part of a broader IT revamp, the recent deployment of the PDA
solution to Melbourne, followed closely by Brisbane, coincides with
the company's decision to consolidate all of its IT systems in
Sydney. The number of units now deployed is about 200.

Direct Couriers spent about $1.2 million on its wireless
hand-held solution but expects this to expand to accommodate future
initiatives such as incorporating the PDAs into a radar-style
solution that would allow HQ staff to view the position of all
drivers and orders on digital maps.

Previously, the company was using mobile data terminals similar
to those in taxis. While an adequate arrangement for matching
orders with drivers, they still required radio conversations and
notetaking, both of which slowed drivers down by forcing them to
pull over and interrupt their journey.

"Let's say you have no type of electronic device except for the
radio and the company wants to give you work - generally you have
to remember a conversation on the two-way or you have to pull over
and write it down," Mr Quartararo says. That's all in the past. "At
Direct Couriers there's absolutely no human intervention throughout
this whole process - customer detail and requests only need to be
registered once."

In addition to offering fairly simple integration with various
Windows applications including Excel, the Intermec devices were
also chosen for their ruggedness.

"These are very robust PDAs," Mr Quartararo says: "They can drop
two metres onto a concrete floor and still run fine."

Next Lessons

Problem

The company needed a better way to issue, confirm and verify the
status of jobs.

Process

All drivers were issued with PDAs running over GPRS to record
and transmit signatures and interface with booking systems while on
the road.

Possibilities

The company will develop a radar-style solution allowing HQ
staff to view the position of all drivers and orders on digital
maps.

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1129401172182-theage.com.auhttp://www.theage.com.au/news/next/sign-on-the-line-and-keep-tabs-on-couriers/2005/10/17/1129401172182.htmltheage.com.auThe Sydney Morning Herald & The Age2005-10-18Sign on the line and keep tabs on couriersDavid BinningTechnologyNexthttp://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/10/17/next_courier2_oct18.jpg

PDAs on the road keep a courier firm and its customers happy. Photo: Jessica Hromas